Daily Inspiration: Meet Mason Solomon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mason Solomon

Hi Mason, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up on the Upper Eastside in New York City raised by two parents who, while they did not play any instruments themselves, were extremely musically inclined. They did all they could to immerse my younger sister and I in all different styles and genres of music ranging from The Barenaked Ladies to Green Day, Run DMC to Taj Mahal, and Broadway to Mozart. Music was omnipresent in our household at all hours and always on for car rides of any duration. Besides a (very) brief stint with piano lessons and a short entanglement with the clarinet in elementary school, I didn’t truly start playing music until I got to high school. It was my freshman year when I joined my first band, The Loose Teeth, made up of a few of my older friends as their drummer. They were heavy into the grunge rock scene, which led to me developing my chops by doing my best to be Dave Grohl or Tré Cool. Once I got my first taste of what it meant to be in a band, I was hooked from then on out. When I wasn’t banging on the kit, I started teaching myself how to play piano and guitar in our school music room. The only caveat being that although I’m a righty when it comes to everything else, I play guitar lefty and we only had righty guitars. So I did what any logical person would do and taught myself to play upside-down and never looked back. When my friends and sonic collaborators started to graduate, I began to develop my own voice, literally and figuratively, but it wasn’t until my freshman year at Bard College (shout out to Steely Dan) when I started song writing. There I took every music class I could (while being a film production major) and formed my first band of my own, Alpha Girl. In that group I was able to serve as a frontman singin song writin guitar player and got to bring my first ever original songs to life, while splitting to those duties with someone who I consider to be one the greatest artists and humans ever, Sem Ortiz (whose music will blow your mind). And after three and a half years of an incredible music experience in college in upstate New York, I dropped out and moved Pittsburgh, PA where my entire dad’s side of the family is from and still reside. Over the course of two and a half years working as a preschool teacher in Squirrel Hill during my days, I became my own artist and learned what it was like to break into a music scene. I just gotta say, people really be sleeping on the Pittsburgh music scene. It is such a cozy, welcoming environment that introduced me to some of my favorite humans and phenomenal musicians. While in the burgh, I started going by MASON. and formed my backing band Mr. Business, thus, MASON. & Mr. Business was born. I started putting out my own solo music, playing shows, and learning how to network, all things that propelled me into my next big move: Nashville, TN. After a few conversations with some people I look up to and an incredible week long visit to the Music City, I decided it was time to step out of my comfort zone and make a change. In August of 2023 I moved to Nashville and since then, it’s been more than I could’ve hoped for. Nashville has really opened my eyes to what life fully immersed in music truly means and while it gets pretty scary at times, it also is the only way I want to live. I’ve been able to meet so many extraordinary people, experience the top shelf of musicianship, and create friendships that’ll last a lifetime. Chasing this dream of mine has increasingly felt more and more like chasing a reality as I continue to live and create here, and I’m very fortunate that that’s the case. Right now, I’m at a point where it’s all in my hands and it’s on me to make something happen. It’s a daunting, overwhelming, anxiety inducing endeavor, and that’s what makes it all the more worth it.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I was 11 years old, I developed a stress induced anxiety disorder that doctors could closest diagnose as P.A.N.D.A.S. It completely upended my life as well as my family’s. I essentially missed all of 6th grade due to fact that I couldn’t sit still, focus, or be in a classroom with others where I would get easily overstimulated, just to name a few reasons. It was a trying time to say the least, but something that never went away was my connection to music. Between that and the incredible, unwavering support of my family and friends, I was able to navigate an uncertain future to the best of my abilities. Fortunately, the P in P.A.N.D.A.S. stands for pediatric, so as I got older, the symptoms lessoned, and I was able to regain control over who I was and who I wanted to be. Looking back, that time in my life seems murky, but what I do know is that the only way I got through it was having my incredible friends, family, and music by my side.

I’m definitely not unique in saying one of my biggest personal obstacles is self-doubt. But it’s true. In my life I’ve been very fortunate to have people supporting me all along the way as I pursue my passion. However, there is no voice that’s louder than the one that’s in your head and it’s been a real battle as of late. It’s lot of “why am I doing this to myself?” or “nobody takes me seriously” or “what am I doing with my life?” that seems to rattle around in my brain. It’s often in the moments that I get depressed, doubt myself, and spiral into those dark recesses of my mind that one could easily get lost in (and I do). My self confidence has come a LONG a way since I was younger and would be scared to perform in front of my friends and family, but even though most days I feel like I belong in the room or on the stage, those pockets of negative self talk still find ways to pop up. All this being said, through therapy, practice, and just good ol fashioned aging, I’ve been able to pull myself out of these depressive spirals faster and faster by taking a step back and looking at where I once was and where I am now. It’s those “facts” that I have to keep telling myself in order to quiet the echoes of self doubt and continue to believe in who I am.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
On one side, I’m a singer-songwriter. I work on developing music, releasing it, booking gigs, arranging recording sessions, and everything in between. On another sided, I’m a video producer. I have a passion for documenting music like concerts, albums recordings, while also trying to capture who the people are behind the sounds as well. I’m also an event organizer with a strong passion for fund raising. For the past few years I’ve run The Annual Business Meeting, a benefit concert held in Pittsburgh every year in an effort to raise money for the Mac Miller Fund. I’m also very passionate about working with special need adults through a program that I help run at the summer camp I’ve attended since I was 7.

I guess one thing you could say I’m known for or that sets me apart is playing guitar upside-down. It’s always fun to watch someone’s face watching me play for the first time and realizing what’s going on. While it does make it harder for me to get jazzier on occasion, the fact that I can walk into a room and not have to worry about having a lefty strung guitar is well worth it.

One of the things I’m most proud of is when I’m able to bring people together. Whether it’s for a good cause or musically, I get a lot of joy out of connecting the people in my life and making new connections a long the way. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my favorite humans together. Well, I guess that and my dog, Pouncey.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I think it’s persistence. It’s believing I can get through anything and achieve the things I set out to even when they don’t come easy. I think it comes from being able to get through the struggles of my past, seeing where I am now, and knowing that, while there are struggles ahead, I am ready, willing, and able to face them. It’s all apart of who I am today, and that’s a person I will continue to believe in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://masondoesmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masondoesmusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@masondoesyoutube/videos